This invention relates to close fittings for frangible objects, and, more particularly, to closely fitting pouring spouts for glass decanters.
Fittings are often used to protect frangible objects, as well as to serve as an outlet or reinforcement for the object. In many cases the fitting should be tightly secured to the object to prevent leakage.
An example is the decanter for dispensing liquids such as coffee and tea. Decanters are commonly made of glass, with a body portion that extends to a neck. When the decanter is to be used, it is tilted to an appropriate position to allow its contents to be poured into another container. The fitting for such a decanter has a handle that allows the user to properly position the decanter for pouring. Originally the handle was attached to an annular band on the neck of the decanter. This arrangement had the disadvantage that the pouring spout of the decanter was an integral part of the glass unit and was subject to breakage.
It was recognized early that the pouring spout could be of a more durable material than glass and that it should be part of the handle. At first the combination pouring spout and handle was affixed by clamping. But the clamped attachment of a pouring spout is time consuming and costly. It often fails to provide a secure fit between the decanter and the pouring spout. And even when the spout is clamped tightly during manufacture of the decanter, it tends to become loose during usage.
A number of attempts have been made to achieve a unitary handle and pouring spout combination which could be securely affixed to a decanter without clamping. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,615,045; 4,104,251; and 4,140,252 a unitary pouring spout is force-fitted onto a neck of a glass receptacle with a flexible gasket. Assembly is difficult and results in a number of broken decanters. It is particularly true when the gasket grips the pouring spout and makes it difficult to manipulate. Furthermore, if the tolerances required to obtain a tight fit are not met, a loose and therefore leaky seal results. The tall neck that is required also produces difficulties.
A further attempt to provide a decanter with a unitary pouring spout bonded to a rigid glass receptacle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,648. A pouring spout is formed with an annular cavity shaped to receive the neck portion of a rigid glass decanter. Flexible adhesive material is applied in a liquid state to the annular cavity in the rigid receptacle substantially filling the channel. Thereafter the neck portion of the rigid receptacle is inserted into the channel so that the flexible adhesive completely fills the void and surrounds the inserted neck. When solid the flexible material forms a permanent sealing bond between the receptacle and the pouring spout. This procedure has the disadvantage that the flexible adhesive material can be affected by heat and result in loosening of the bond between the pouring spout and the receptacle. In addition there is a substantial amount of breakage of the receptacles during fabrication. The adhesive materials also are difficult to apply and costly.
Another attempt has been to use a unitary pouring structure that is affixed to the glass receptacle using an epoxy resin. The epoxy forms a rigid seal between the pouring spout and the glass receptacle, which can break during shipment. In addition, the epoxy resins do not adhere well to the usual spout materials allowing the seal between the spout and the glass to be readily broken and cause fluid leakage.
Other fittings of the prior art are to be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,982,451; 2,993,629; 3,606,102; 3,491,924; 3,615,045; and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,708.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to facilitate the provision of close fittings for frangible objects. A related object is to achieve close fittings with reduced danger of breakage of frangible objects. Another related object is to facilitate the provision of the closely fitting pouring spouts for glass decanters.
Another object of the invention is to provide a durable fitting that can serve as a pouring spout for a frangible container without the need for clamped spouts or handles while achieving the secure attachment of the fitting to the object. A related object is to avoid any loosening of the spout from the fitting or of the fitting from the object to which it is attached, during usage.
Still another object of the invention is to achieve a unitary handle and pouring spout combination which can be securely affixed to a decanter without clamping. A related object is to achieve simplified assembly and a reduction in the number of broken decanters.
Yet another object of the invention is to simplify the assembly, and reduce breakage, in decanters which make use of a gasket that grips the pouring spout. A related object is to facilitate the manipulation of seating gaskets used in decanters which embody pouring spouts. Another related object is to achieve a tight seal with containers that have a comparatively wide range of tolerances so that leaky seals can be avoided.
A further object of the invention is to achieve a decanter with a unitary pouring spout that is suitably bonded to a glass receptacle. A related object is to avoid the need for adhesive material in securing a suitable bond of a spout to a glass receptacle. Another related object is to avoid the use of resins in seeking to achieve a secure fit of a pouring spout to a glass receptacle.